Coming to the Plains

The purpose of this project is to document the immigration experiences of the Latin@ communities of central Nebraska. The project grew from two impetuses. The first was a realization that the UNK Archives and Special Collections has very little information on diversity or diverse groups. What information currently exists is limited to official university documentation and materials from a few student groups that support students from diverse backgrounds. The Archives has a stated mission of documenting the full scope of diversity in central and western Nebraska, which it has historically failed to do. The second was a desire by Dr. Warren to capture some of the stories which her students and their relatives have shared with her. Collaboratively, Dr. Warren from Modern Languages, Prof. Rosdail from Communications, and Prof. Weisse from the Library have the experience to conduct oral histories to increase documentation of the Latin@ communities in central Nebraska.  

Oral histories, especially those conducted through a feminist lens, are a flexible format that can excel in letting the participant (subject) tell their own story. By using a relatively small set of open-ended questions, we give the participants choices in how much to reveal, while also eliminating the possibility of yes/no answers to questions. Video and/or audio taped oral histories, transcribed and translated – into English if conducted in Spanish or vice versa - create a body of primary sources that future scholars can use to investigate their own research questions.